Friday, 11 August 2017

It has been a
while since harsh ebm pioneer Johan van Roy last unleashed Suicide
Commando to terrorise unsuspecting electronic music fans. 2013's
'When Evil Speaks', saw van Roy continue to refine his unique formula
and even add a couple of hints of his more experimental past. With
his new offering 'Forest Of The Impaled', however we see a much more
focused effort, concise in it's approach and all the sharper for it.

Suicide Commando has a pretty strict structure that has
served van Roy very well. Whereas a lot of his imitators sound
derivative, van Roy has avoided falling into any kind of
self-parodied. He knows when to look back, and subtly tweak things to
keep things interesting. And most importantly he knows what his
fan-base wants, and is more than happy to deliver.

'Forest Of
the Impaled' is a strong collection of savage dance floor
eviscerating tracks that ooze sinister atmospheres and and infectious
melodies. Tracks like 'My New Christ', 'Too Far Gone', 'The Pain That
You Like', 'The Devil', 'Schiz[o]topia', and 'We Are Transitory'
feature the classic Suicide Ccommando hallmarks and will undoubtedly
be ravenously consumed by fans and casual club-goers alike.

As
with 'When Evil Speaks' there are the odd nods to previous sounds and
a little experimenting with his style going on to keep things from
sounding too relentless. The likes of 'Death Lies Waiting', 'Chasm Of
Emptiness', and 'Crack Up' keep things interesting with their little
unexpected twists.

Production-wise the album is of the
quality we expect from a 31-year veteran. Van Roy's expert
craftsmanship has this album sounding as high-end as anything from a
major label release, and with his twisted imagination behind it, far
more interesting.

On the surface it might be perplexing to
some as to how van Roy's steadfast dedication to his core sound has
actually kept him relevant through a myriad of musical trends coming
and going. But it is his artistic integrity that fans respond to. In
the case of 'Forest Of The Impaled' with the additional trimming of
the fat compared to some of his previous releases, the songs sound
stronger and more impactful, even when things get a bit repetitive or
safe sounding, you can't help but be drawn in.